Who leaves the joint home after separation? The role of partners’ absolute and relative education in Belgium

Abstract

After union dissolution, the question of who stays in the joint home and who moves to a new place is of great importance to the life courses of the separating adults as well as any children involved. Drawing on a unique Belgian data set linking Census and Register data (N=56,931), this study addresses the role of heterosexual partners’ absolute and relative educational attainment by means of diagonal reference models. Results for absolute education, which are based on the homogamous couples, show that the man is more likely to move when the couple has many educational resources, while the woman or both partners are more likely to move in couples with low levels of education. Results for relative education, which are based on the heterogamous couples, show that the partner with the highest education level is more likely to stay, particularly when the difference is large. In line with predictions based on women’s greater perceived vulnerability after separation, who moves and who stays is more strongly associated with the woman’s than with the man’s education. This indicates that human capital may insure women against poverty by reinforcing their position not only in the labour market but also in the housing market.